As I travel the world I have noticed a phenomenon about ‘time’ – every culture (and sub-culture) has a different approach to it.

The one thing we have in common is, we all value time, but it’s what we do with it that differs. In the hills of Egypt, India, Greece, Turkey – away from the influence of manic ‘ten-days-to-do-everything’tourists, the locals enjoy their ever-warm days with an attitude of, “if it doesn’t get done today, we’ll do it tomorrow”.

Tomorrow. It’s a wonderful term, but can be about comfort as well as deep anxiety.

The comfort that has to override everything we think, do or say about it, is that God has measured out time, and is already promising to be there. Not only when you need him, (how foolish a thought!) but because you can’t be anywhere that He is not. Selah!

There is a time when you are in no rush but God is!

When God is in a rush

It’s a fantastic concept, and for God, the only time He pushes for immediacy is when it comes to getting right with God. Hebrew 3:15 expresses it clearly, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” There is a time when you are in no rush and God is! That alone should press all the buttons that calls to all action stations.

If God is saying “Today”, “Now!” and as He holds time in His hands, then you have to be a fool not to listen! What is on the horizon (or what isn’t!) that God asserts Himself so? He is gracious, take His advice.

When you are in a rush.

But the scenario that brought you to this page is the consideration of waiting on God when you are in a rush. It may not feel like it but this is a good place to be! It speaks of one or all of a few things;

You face a situation and you are waiting for God’s intervention – an answer to prayer.

You face a situation and God is waiting for you to seek His guidance more – prayer.

You need God to answer prayer – but Providence isn’t working to your timescale

You are waiting for God, unaware that you are being tested!

Someone is about to preach!

The answer to some of these is to take things into your own hands, after all, God helps those who help themselves. As soon as you read your bible you release it is your need that God assists. God is the one that helps those who cannot help themselves.

The answer to prayer is on its way, but it may be coming from a distance; or from a heart that is yet to moved to follow the leading of the Spirit. One thing is for certain, God is always exactly on time. His time.

God’s timing is so important to us. One of the UK’s Church leaders used to have a catchphrase which has now gone out of use, “Be the first, be the best – make it happen!” A fine statement for pioneers and not settlers, but the last part of the statement is where people trip up. Don’t make it happen.

The Lord’s Prayer holds your attention, not so much the pace of the prayer, or urgency – getting God to break in, crush the enemy, heal the sick and produce many signs and wonders. No, the pace is slow, considered and deliberate. It’s a brilliant prayer. It’s not in the English text of the Bible, but I do think it is a good thought, “Give us today, the bread of tomorrow”.

One of the wonderful things we can reassure ourselves about is that when Jesus is telling us not to be anxious, he tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but to consider what God is already doing, to think about today and God’s gracious provision in it.

You’ll notice that I have not covered the last issue; – someone is about to preach. For all who saw and experienced John Wimber’s ministry, you will have noticed the great attention he gave to waiting on the Spirit and not rushing into preaching, notices, offerings etc. God came first, and having made room for God to come first, he was ready to make even more room for him.

The heart of the matter is that if you are in a rush, and taken time to be waiting for and seeking God’s help, He will help you. You can’t be too dependant on God. It’s not a verse that was written in a good frame, but the truth is consistent for us; those who honour God will be honoured by Him. (1 Samuel 2:30)

Read These Next

Do you know the Irish Prophet? Just over three years ago whilst in prayer the Lord showed me that I would meet an Irish prophet. Nothing more, just “you’ll meet an Irish prophet.” At first I wondered if it was because I either might not take them seriously, or that I should be on the lookout for them.

I asked friends and no-one seemed to have heard of him or knew anyone who might know, eventually I thought if anyone would know, Paul Cain would know, but he didn’t either. So I waited.

A little while ago I was watching a YouTube clip of a meeting and on the right of the screen the options for other clips suggested one that took my attention. I clicked on it to hear someone say, “Please welcome Brendan McCauley, you may know him as ‘the Irish Prophet!'” It got my attention!

I contacted Brendan saying that I didn’t know if I had a word from God for him, or if he would have one for me, or we were just meant to meet? Graciously he just invited me to come over to Ireland anytime, and stay with him. What I didn’t know at this time was that the Lord had spoken to him in a dream saying that “there was a man looking for him!”

Brendan is keen to see anyone, from any walk of life moving in the things of God and just as importantly, enjoying their walk in God.

Brendan and his wife Angela are extraordinary in so many ways. They have 14 children, all of which are University graduates and love the Lord, but the really amazing testimony is not just that Brendan was healed of psoriasis, but that Angela was dramatically healed of bowel cancer. They now travel together telling of God’s kindness and His willingness to do the same for others.

One thing is obvious about them both; their love for people. When the Lord said I would meet an Irish prophet I expected all sorts of things but I didn’t realise the package they come as – loving God, loving people and a real sense of credibility in their desire to serve the Lord left us with a an inspiring encouragement to do the same. And the Irish humour was legendary!

Their commitment to reach people on both sides of the religious divide in Ireland is encouraging, as is their non-judgmental, non-religious approach to the prophetic ministry. Brendan is keen to see anyone, from any walk of life moving in the things of God and just as importantly, enjoying their walk in God.

I don’t usually write about specific people, but I was impacted by the friendliness of Brendan and Angela, including two of their daughters who we met; Mary and Angela who treat these total strangers from England not just as friends, but as family.

They raised the bar so high, but then he is after all, the Irish Prophet.

Read These Next

People may forget what you say but sometimes remember accurately your last remark.

The last word of the book of Acts in the Greek New Testament is the word akolutos. The word literally means “unhindered,” though many translations render it with multiple words.

Others move the word from its final position for the sake of syntax. In both cases, it would appear that something is lost in translation. Luke was intentionally making a statement with this last word of his two-volume testimony to the life of Jesus Christ, and may well have intended readers to pause at the conclusion of his words, leaving us with the provocative thought of a Gospel that is unhindered.

“Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered” (Acts 28:30-31).

Through prisons and angry crowds, Luke’s stirring narrative of the Acts of the Holy Spirit dramatically traces the birth and growth of the early church. The book begins with a few hundred believers in Christ and a collective will to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth.

The Church will experience difficulties in society, persecution and frustration, but God is using the Church at this time, to take the gospel to the nations.

Opposition to this witness of the growing Church is not far off (something of a sobering thought for us in this day as the growing sense of revival grips the Church at large))is described at every turn.

It’s an honest appraisal of what happens when the Church is on the move – stirred by the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised persecutioni for those who would follow Him and our need to take up our cross daily. Persecution, beatings, death, and imprisonment all threatened the voice of the early church and ultimately the spread of the Gospel itself. But in spite of all this, Luke carefully unpacks the history of the early church and the spread of the Gospel by boldly describing the progression of God’s Word as going forth without so much as the slightest of hindrances.

The Good News of God to all the world, he seems to want us to remember, goes forth in power.

When we are pressed on all sides by variant theologies and distorted gospels, when the media delights in yet another conspiracy theory that promises to be the downfall of Christianity, we are to remember the great narration of which we are a part. The book of Acts is largely concerned with documenting the history of the early church within the context of the unhindered work of God from the beginning to the end.

“Indeed,” says Peter, “all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers” (Acts 3:24-25). That is indeed encouraging! We need not live defeated by every emerging plot to undermine Christ, the gospel, the Church or us as Christians.

The authentic prophetic message is – no matter what life brings, God has the final Word! Put all your trust in Christ!

We are to live instead in His victory, walking forward as heirs of the great unhindered kingdom of God. We are a part of a movement that will not fade away. The Gospel was and is and always will be a testimony that exists without hindrance. No one can thwart the progress of the Gospel, for it is sealed by the Spirit that presses it onward.

Nothing can stop the ultimate victory of the story of God, for it is finished. We follow a God who spoke in the beginning and who will have the final word.

Don’t give up – keep looking to God, you’ll not be disappointed.

Matthew’s gospel speaks of persecution (compare Mk 13:9-13) in his discourse on the kingdom mission indicates his view that persecution and proclamation are inseparable (see likewise Acts or Paul’s letters, such as Paul’s defence of his apostleship in 2 Cor 11:23-33). True ministry involves suffering, especially if it is a frontline ministry to nonbelievers; I have been beaten and threatened more than once for ministry on the streets. Yet as Jesus reminds us in the next section, the worst our opponents can do to us is kill us, and we will die anyway with or without their persecution! (Mt 10:24-33). Because persecution is a guarantee for a true disciple (2 Tim 3:12), we may question the strength of our witness if we are not experiencing any (compare, for example, Mt 5:11-12; Acts 5:41; 14:22; Gal 5:11; 1 Thess 3:3; Rev 1:9). (back)

Matthew’s gospel speaks of persecution (compare Mk 13:9-13) in his discourse on the kingdom mission indicates his view that persecution and proclamation are inseparable (see likewise Acts or Paul’s letters, such as Paul’s defence of his apostleship in 2 Cor 11:23-33). True ministry involves suffering, especially if it is a frontline ministry to nonbelievers; I have been beaten and threatened more than once for ministry on the streets. Yet as Jesus reminds us in the next section, the worst our opponents can do to us is kill us, and we will die anyway with or without their persecution! (Mt 10:24-33). Because persecution is a guarantee for a true disciple (2 Tim 3:12), we may question the strength of our witness if we are not experiencing any (compare, for example, Mt 5:11-12; Acts 5:41; 14:22; Gal 5:11; 1 Thess 3:3; Rev 1:9).

Read These Next

One of the major aspects of prophetic ministry is not so much calling God’s people or even society to repentance, neither is it about prophetic utterance concerning the future, or even the heart-warming emotional aspect of an invitation to intimacy with God.

It’s about trust. God loves to be trusted.

To trust God, is make him the object of our dependence and demonstrates obedience to the command to avoid idolatry (Exodus 20:4) In our modern-day approach to life this it is very easy for us be caught up in the tension of trusting God, whilst also applying common sense. We value common sense, usually equating it with wisdom.

At the end of days, God is never going to tell reprimand anyone saying, “you put too much emphasis on trusting me!”

Horses – really?

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Ps 20:7) If you have an army then horses and chariots makes for good sense, but David realised that although he needed these things, the object of his trust was to be God. Moses urged the Israelites, to avert their gaze from being overly concerned about an enemy that ‘seemed’ well prepared with practical resources and strategy, which basically implied, “don’t do this yourself – keep your focus always on God, trust Him!”

“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.(Deuteronomy 20:1)

Moses was not at all encouraging them to look for more resources, people, weapons, stuff. In contrast, Sun Tzu, the world-famous Chinese general, military strategist, and alleged author of “The Art of War” would have got it totally wrong.

The extent to which we all need to trust God is a level playing field despite the fact that some people feel they need to trust God, and others who through reason of trial or circumstance have to trust God. No, our circumstance, unbeknown to us is that at all times, we are heavily dependant on Him, and need to actively assert our trust in Him.

“God helps those who help themselves”, is not in the bible. He does help those who can’t help themselves though…

Out-doing God?

When it comes to faith, there are two dynamic issues; you cannot out-give God and neither can you out-trust God, that is you can never trust God more than you should have.

Prophetic ministry at its core points the entire church to the imperative of trusting God because if our hearts are locked into trusting God, all the other issues in life that keep us away from God or that hinder or frustrate our walk will be affected.

You can never trust God too much – He provides everything we have in life, and as our Father is committed to us in a way that is beyond our comprehension. He is a good God that does not merely tolerate us, but is with us and for us, despite our inconsistency, failure and proneness to wander.

God is not only trustworthy but he Has never been less trustworthy or more. His character means we can, should and by His grace put all our trust and confidence in Him. He can’t be better than He is!

Let me close by saying that the Old Testament uses seven words when it speaks of “Trust”. They are important to us because as you consider them collectively you begin to realise that what is implied in the word, ‘trust’ is actually ‘faith’.

Why is this such an important factor in prophetic ministry?

We need to remind one another regularly not so much to keep faith (although that is necessary), but to hold on to an emphasis on the grace of God. We have not been saved and set on our way, but we have become disciples. Our path is one of learning, evaluating, investigating and discovering not just who we are (an over-emphasis of an individualistic self-absorbed culture), but more importantly who God is.

What does it really mean to be in Christ? What is God’s agenda with us, and can He be trusted? If God can be trusted where does personal responsibility come in? There are lots of questions that can be raised, but the starting point has to be, let’s put our full trust in God, and then work out practicalities later as we discern the leading of the Spirit, and understand the counsel of the Word of God (not necessarily in that order!).

Where do we find a good example of just what it means to trust God explicitly? No points for guessing, it’s Jesus. Other humans in history inspire us, motivate us, challenge us. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, even John the Baptist can be inspirational to us, but each one of them needed a saviour to save them from their sin. Their sin separated them from God. So, it’s Jesus we turn to for our great example. And what an example.

Jesus knew there was nothing about the Father (about Himself) that He did not, would not, could not trust.

Jesus knew who the Father was. John 2:23-25 tells us that “He would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” He knew, and there was nothing about the Father (about Himself) that He did not trust. There was never a time when He asked the Father about going to the Cross and dying for mankind that he questioned the purpose of the Father, or His power to raise Him from the dead, or even His willingness to do it. His ‘out-loud’ prayer revealed that He knew the Father always heard Him, and that He always did the things that please Him. Always. Said with confidence and with conviction.

There was One that could be trusted, and Jesus put His life in His hands.

That’s where prophets come in. Encouraging the Church not to talk about themselves, or their value, potential. The message of the Cross is not to make much of man, but that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. It is about Him, bringing a people back for Himself. All the glory that the Church has, belongs to Christ. Prophets proclaiming an impassioned call for the Church to emphatically put their trust in Christ wield a very sharp sword. It cuts off disillusionment, despair, despondency and brings hope, faith and courage.

Proverbs 3:5 has to be the national anthem for the Church across the world; “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

A trinity of words!

It is a shame that there is not a collective word for the expression of this encouragement, but there seems to be a trinity of words, none of which will exist outside of the other; faith, trust, obedience. Of course, it is a given that you realise that in English, the bible uses the words ‘faith’ and ‘believe’ interchangeably – they are both the same word in Greek. So, believing, trusting and obeying all work together.

You won’t always get what you ask for in prayer, but you will be rewarded for those three elements because having faith means trusting, and that trusting can never happen outside of obedience.

Much to think about!

So, here are the seven words used to speak of trust. I will leave you to muse over them, but my guess is you will have moved on before you have had three more breaths! But do keep trusting, encourage others to keep trusting, ask God to help you trust Him, and dare to trust Him more than you ever have. He is faithful, kind, merciful, loving, compassionate, loyal and whilst He and others, do not always trust you – you can always trust Him!

Hasah a verb meaning to seek, to take refuge, like the shade of a tree. It is used particurly of the Lord. He is our shield providing refuge.

batah confidence, it expresses the feeling of security that is felt when one can rely on someone else.

aman to build up, to nurture, primarily providing security, like a baby in the arms of a parent.

mibtah to trust , to be confident, it refers to the person of thing in which one puts their trust.

yahal to wait with hope.

hul to whirl, to shake, to writhe, it it used to describe an anxious waiting, to describe labor pains, it also implies God’s creative work.

mahseh a noun designating refuge or shelter, it indicates the place of safety and protection.

Read These Next

In the excited rush to get to Joel’s most famous prophecy (Joel 2:28-29) many people miss great encouragements that he unveils as he shares what the God of Israel has revealed to him.

God’s prophets and poets, authors and letter-writers share the same frustration. Word pictures crafted so delicately and intentionally can be overlooked by the those who proudly declare themselves speed-readers. Such specimens of humanity are like eagles flying high in the sky, looking for small rodents and snakes, so noble-sounding but they miss the diamonds, the colours, textures, shadows and the intriguing creatures hiding under leaves.

We can be like that as we hover over scripture looking for the big phrases that have inspired generations. Joel 2:28-29 is a prime example. Joel is bubbling over as an authentic prophet, with the revelation he has from God, and with good cause. His 73 verses, later broken into three chapters for our convenience, speak about God, his justice, grace, kindness and favour. They are teeming with life, hope, warning and opportunity.

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.”

In Joel 2:19 is a wonderful promise you may have leapfrogged over, “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.” It is quite clear that God is speaking to Israel as a nation and not giving us an individual promise, but like most things in the Bible, God is also able to bring a further element of fulfilment to His Word, and for it to carry out what it was given for. As always, it is about mixing the word of God with faith. (Hebrews 4:2) i

This is a day where God appears to be speaking to many leaders in the Church about:

digging ditches,(2 Kings 3:16-19),

opening up the wells of revival (Genesis 26:18),

the anointing (Luke 4:18), and the

outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2, Joel 2:28-29)

Understandably, given the tensions that the Church across the world has experienced or heard rumours about, their focus has been on the Word of God. What does it say that will comfort, encourage and guide us through this time? As they turn to Scripture the Spirit begins to make those very words live.

It is not surprising then that this single verse in Joel’s encouraging, warning, inspiring and comforting prophecy should be one that stirs your heart, and gives you much to muse over in the coming days.

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” (Joel 2:25)

Stop, pause and say that phrase over and over again. Say it out loud. Write it in an email or a text message, and send it to yourself.

This is something that you are going to have to contend for in prayer. The answers from heaven will be incremental, little by little, not all at once. Everything of value comes by prayer. Declaring or decreeing it is just modern-day silliness. Pray and ask God for it.(Hebrews 11:6) I am convinced that there is a favour from God on His church at this time that is like a surge on top of the already gracious flow of grace, mercy and kindness that He always displays towards His beloved. This truly is grace upon grace, kindness upon kindness.

I am convinced that there is a favour from God on His church at this time that is like a surge on top of the already gracious flow of grace, mercy and kindness that He always displays towards His beloved. This truly is grace upon grace, kindness upon kindness.

Briefly, let us unpack this verse and then attend to a conclusion on the matter;

I This is God come to our assistance. It’s awesome in the fullest meaning of the word. It’s His initiative, it wasn’t an invitation, He decided. God loves the Church so much He sent His Son to die for it. You have not been forgotten. Your prayers have been heard, and sometimes if God had given you what you asked for, you would be in real trouble. There is wisdom in what He does, and the way that He answers your prayer. God is not accountable to you. he doesn’t have to heed your call, but He does. He delights in you trusting His Word and having faith in Him. There are so many rewards waiting for the righteous. He is good, loving and very, very kind. And, for the legalists, He is also Holy, Just…

will When God says He will do something, He will. God is truth. He has no good intentions – they are direct actions, He does what He says He will. It happens. So when He says, “call to me and I will answer you”, He will. When He says, “If anyone comes to me I will not cast them away”, He means it. When He says, i”n the last days I will pour out My Spirit” guess what…

restore This word is loaded with everything you need to hear. The word properly means, ‘pay back’. It was taken from you by the hurricane of life, by people, events, discouragement or disappointment; and they could never restore what was taken from your heart. But God can. All things are possible to Him, all things. This word, ‘restore’ needs to be savoured like having a piece of the richest chocolate in your mouth. Not chewed, just slowly enjoyed, tasted, lingered over.

to you It’s easy to believe God has blessing and restoration for others, but God is personally at work with the Church and you, as part of that church. It is selfishness that says, “this could never happen to me.” It draws attention to you as you refuse to believe and trust God, questioning His integrity. Take Him at His word.This might help; Do you believe that God could do these things for you, but don’t have faith that they will?Here is the brilliant thing, the Bible has two words translated from the one Greek word; ‘pistis’. The English translation uses two words for it, Believe and Faith. They are both translating the same word! The good news is, if you can use either word – then you have ‘pistis’! And with ‘pistis’ ALL things are possible!

the years A strange phrase, God not so much promising to give back ‘stuff’, but years. ‘Years’, speaks of hard work, aspirations, development, skills – things that take time to build, develop, acquire etc. As you get older, there are some things you lose the opportunity for. But God has no limitations. He doesn’t even have a plan, what He intends flows majestically into His providence and sovereignty.

the locusts have eaten Locusts can look cute on the photographs but they are not. They have a massive sting, that can kill a man in 5 minutes. ii They chew away at vegetation incessantly (read more about them here) but the thing is, the Locusts just nibble away. Plants slowly disappearing. You have seen that in life, hope slowly deteriorating, dissolving, disappearing. Then one day you wake up, and all hope is gone. That is what God is speaking of.

Conclusion

f you got this far without skimming over everything, well done! This is a powerful promise that is worth praying about and asking God to speak to you through. If I were you having read this, I would probably want to ask God to draw near to me and apply His Word to my heart, asking God in His kindness to draw near, and for His Spirit to witness to my heart this wonderful truth.

It is no coincidence that you have found this website page today, so don’t miss the opportunity to allow God to restore hope in your heart for what He wants to lead you into.

Trust God!

If it helps, Calvin took a literal interpretation of chapter 1, but an allegorical view of chapter 2, a position echoed by most modern interpreters. (back)

Read These Next

Is there a prophetic code that somehow allows us to press in and to know the heart, mind, will of God? It would make things convenient!

We live in a world of shortcuts; it’s full of instant success, instant food, information and results. Has that pervasive culture somehow infiltrated the life and ethos of the church?

God has much to say in the Scriptures – but also speaks through the various ministries and gifts that God has placed in the church.

The understanding and conviction held by many is that God is always speaking, where we go adrift is our timeframe of such encounters with Him is different to the Bible. We expect it all, here and now.

It leads to that place of pressure that says, “God has so much to say, so little time to say it, so It all needs to be unpacked here and now! What is God saying? What is he doing? Where is he doing it? If there is only some quick way of discerning it all!” Gerald Coates once commented that the average Charismatic had more Words from God in a day than Billy Graham received in a year!

No rush!

When we read the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel or Amos we often fail to read into the narrative the structure and dynamics of time. This often spoils the reading and meaning for ourselves. Everything we read in the prophets was not revealed and then given in one huge 20-gigabyte download as with a computer. It is being disclosed and spoken by God over a prolonged period (sometimes over many years) and then reported by God’s messengers in words, signs and drama over a period of years in a way that people can understand. The Bible pulls the event together in one go, resulting in something like Daniel that you can read through in an hour, but that took years to happen.

The big challenge is, revelation comes only from the Spirit of God, not from ourselves, from what we know, or from social media or hearsay.

Prophetic codes?

There are no hidden codes to prophetic ministry, but are there hints, clues, signs for us to interpret and understand what it is that God is bringing to mind or choosing to review at any given point? There are. But…

We have to be careful that we correctly discern what the Spirit is saying, whilst being aware of our own perceptions. By that, I mean the perceptions that come from our own observations, biases, agenda.

Nice word, but is it true?

A good question to ask is, “Is this what I think, or what God is saying?” That is a good question to ask yourself. You are accountable for the words that you share, what you say, and even for any dramatic demonstration, you may give us a sign, after all, that is a communication of something that you have in mind and that you are trying to communicate to them as a revelation of God.

If you are encouraging someone rather than being prophetic, say so! The gift of encouragement is awesome, and everyone needs encouragement. Just don’t spoil it by dressing it as a prophecy! Even if your words of well-meaning and words of kindness, if they are given as prophecy and are not the revelation of God they are just words, they won’t produce life but people will be waiting patiently for them to bear fruit! Oops! That could be like a pigeon sitting on a cooked chicken egg for the whole of summer waiting for it to hatch!

Do everything out of the heart of love and you will do well. Don’t do it for fame, don’t do it for fortune, do it for God. If there was a code, that would be it!

It sounds harsh especially if you’re stepping out in faith believing your hearing or discerning something from God for somebody who wants to hear God. I am being overly harsh here, just to express a point which is to draw your attention to being careful about what you say, and what you do, in the name of, and on behalf of the Lord.

I want you to grow in your ministry

This is not to shut down your desire or intention to serve God in the capacity that you do, but just to exercise caution. We want the best for each other, always. We serve one another with the gifts of the spirit and with the multiple ministries that God has given the church, and we do want to encourage each other to fan into flame gifts that God has given, but let’s have a zeal to step out as much as we can in the authentic scripture-honouring Christ-exalting, God-glorifying gifts of the Spirit. Everything we do is by faith, and with faith, so I encourage you to take risks. As those who are taking the effort to grow in their gifting or ministry by;

carefully scrutinising what they are doing,

how they are doing it and

the motives behind it,

this is a valid call on the exercise of your ministry.

I pray that you will have good stories to tell but that other people will tell them about you and for you, that their lips will be quick to tell the story of what God has done and include you in the story.

What you see and is being shown!

As far as what we see, we must never read body language and try to gain from it an understanding what the spirit is saying. If you do so it is easy to go adrift. For example, you may spot a happy person, but then “even in laughter the heart may grieve.”(Proverbs 14:13) – such a person looks happy but underneath there is sadness. Reading body language gives you the wrong interpretation. We must return to the idea, to the truth, that the prophetic ministry including the gift is about revelation. And revelation comes from the Spirit of God, not from ourselves, from what we know, or from social media or hearsay. Don’t be in a rush to prophesy, but be eager nevertheless!

Tomorrow there will be weather!

I would urge you not to prophesy the obvious, or try to be a big shot with the prophetic. I say that with a slight smile because I know many people moving in the gifts of the spirit have a desire to have accurate and inspiring words from God that stirred the heart of the church, but I would encourage you to have a mindset that leads you to a place where you’ve concluded that there is nothing clever or inspiring about prophesying babies, births, dates or marriages. People who have had these events happen are usually quick to tell their story. I pray that you will have good stories to tell but that other people will tell them about you and for you, that their lips will be quick to tell the story of what God has done and include you in the story. We are after all co-workers with Christ.

Sorry, no codes today!

There are no codes for prophetic revelation, no hidden meanings, no discoveries, nothing that can help you have a clarity and an understanding that is beyond the remit that you already have. Just wait on God and work hard on life relationships and your hobby.

What will help you is having the conviction of scripture to pursue 1 Corinthians 14:1 where the apostle Paul told you to “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” As Bob Jones told me, “if you love people and if you love God when you share words with them you can really go wrong.”

Do everything out of the heart of love and you will do well. Don’t do it for fame, don’t do it for fortune, do it for God. If there was a code, that would be it!